Sheet feeding mechanism having corner and center separators



Oct. 5, 1965 ROGERS ETAL 3,210,071

SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM HAVING CORNER AND CENTER SEPARATORS Filed May 1, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS Lee 2 Rogers George J Zahmdnzk 7 Clitiys 5, 1965 R. ROGERS ETAL 3,210, 71

SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM HAVING CORNER AND CENTER SEPARATORS Filed May 1, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 mvLNToRs Lee 2. 20 87's Geozye J ahmdnzk Oct. 5, 1965 L. R. ROGERS ETAL 3,210,071

SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM HAVING CORNER AND CENTER SEPARATORS Filed May 1, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Q 1 I L Lee 2J2 lye W Qmw, BY Geo United States Patent 3,210,071 SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM HAVING CORNER AND CENTER SEPARATORS Lee R. Rogers, Morton Grove, and George J. Zahradnik,

North Riverside, Ill., assignors to A. B. Dick Company,

Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed May 1, 1963, Ser. No. 277,285 12 Claims. (CL 271-21) This invention relates generally to sheet feeding mechanisms adapted to feed paper sheets or the like, one at a time, from a stack of such sheets. Such paper feeding mechanisms are commonly used in duplicators, printing machines, and the like.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved sheet feeding mechanism which utilizes an advantageous combination of a center separator and a pair of corner separators.

A further object is to provide a new and improved mechanism of the foregoing character in which the center separator is positioned in front of the stack, adjacent the center thereof, so as to restrain the forward movement of all of the sheets in the stack except for the topmost sheet.

It is a further object to provide a new and improved mechanism of the foregoing character in which manually operable means are provided for accurately and easily adjusting the vertical elevation of the center separator so as to provide the best separating action.

Another object is to provide such a new and improved mechanism in which the center separator may readily be adjusted horizontally along the front of the stack so that the center separator may be positioned in accordance with the size of the sheet and the position of the sheet on the feed table.

A further object is to provide a new and improved sheet feeding mechanism of the foregoing character in which each of the corner separators restrains one front corner of the stack and causes the corresponding corner of the topmost sheet to buckle as the topmost sheet is fed forwardly off the stack.

Another object is to provide a new and improved sheet feeding mechanism in which the center separator cooperates with the corner separators to insure that only the topmost sheet will be fed from the stack.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description, taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a sheet feeding mechanism to be described as an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation section, taken generally as indicated by the line 22 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken generally along the line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the center and corner separators, and the associated components, with the feed table removed, the view being taken generally as indicated by the line 44 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an elevation view somewhat similar to FIG. 4 but taken from the opposite side of the supporting plate, generally along the line S-5 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view somewhat similar to FIG. 4 but showing a modified construction.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken generally along the line 77 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken generally along the line 8-8 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary elevational view, taken generally as indicated by the line 9-9 in FIG. 6.

As already indicated, FIGS. 1-5 illustrate a sheet feeding mechanism 10, as used in connection with a dupli- 3,210,071 Patented Oct. 5, 1965 "ice cator or printing machine 12. The sheet feeding mechanism is adapted to feed the topmost sheet 14 to the duplicator 12 from a stack 16 of the sheets. A feed table 18 is provided to support the stack 16. It will be understood that the sheets 14 may be of paper or any other suitable material. In this case, the feed table 18 is essentially horizontal.

The illustrated feed table 18 is provided with a pair of side rails or guides 20 which confine the leftand right-hand sides of the paper stack. The side rails 20 taken the form of upwardly projecting flanges or plates which extend upwardly from horizontal plates 22, slidable along the top surface of the feed table 18. Thus, the side rails 20 are adjustable laterally along the feed table to accommodate variations in the size of the sheets and the position of the stack on the feed table. The side rails 20 are slidably connected to a transverse guide 24 mounted under the feed table 18.

Various means may be provided for feeding the sheets 14, one at a time, from the top of the stack 16. The illustrated mechanism utilizes a pair of frictional feed rollers 26 which engage the topmost sheet adjacent the leftand right-hand guide rails 20. The feed rollers 26 are adapted to be rotated so as to slide the topmost sheet 14 forward off the stack. The rollers 26 engage the stack near the forward end thereof.

The feed rollers 26 may be mounted on a drive shaft 28 which in this instance is square in cross section. The feed rollers 26 are preferably slidable longitudinally along the shaft 28 so that the positions of the feed rollers may be adjusted to accommodate various sizes and types of sheets and various positions of the sheets on the feed table. As shown, the shaft 28 extends between arms 30 and 32 which are swingable in a generally vertical direction. The swingable arms 30 and 32 enable the rollers 26 to be moved vertically, into and out of engagement with the topmost sheet 14 of the stack 16.

The arm 30 may contain a suitable mechanism for intermittently rotating the shaft 28 in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. The rollers 26 normally engage the top of the stack during such counterclockwise rotation of the shaft 28, so that the rollers slide the topmost sheet 14 to the right. Roller feed mechanisms of the type illustrated and described herein will be well known to those skilled in the art, so that it will not be necessary to describe the illustrated roller feed mechanism in greater detail.

The sheet feeding mechanism 10 preferably comprises a pair of corner separators 36 which restrain the front corners of the stack 16. When the topmost sheet 14 is fed forwardly from the stack, the corner separators 36 cause the front corners of the topmost sheet to buckle. Such buckling enables the corners of the topmost sheet to snap past the corner separators. This buckling action assists in separating the top most sheet from any underlying sheets which might otherwise tend to adhere to the topmost sheet.

Corner separators of this general type have been disclosed and claimed in a number of prior patents assigned to the same assignee as the present application. Such patents include the Perzentka Patent No. 2,893,729, issued Iuly 7, 1959, for Sheet Separating Mechanism for Duplicators; the Tonkin Patent No. 2,912,241, issued November 10, 1959, for Corner Separator Mechanism for Duplicators; and the Perzentka Patent No. 2,922,644, issued January 26, 1960, for Sheet Separating Mechanism for Duplicators. Each of the illustrated corner separators 36 comprises a generally vertical member or bar 38 which is adapted to be positioned in front of one front corner of the paper stack 16 so as to restrain the forward movement of the topmost sheet 14 and the underlying sheets. When the topmost sheet 14 is slid forwardly by the feed rollers 26, the front corners of the topmost sheet engage the vertical members 38 of the corner separators 36. Further movement of the topmost sheet causes the front corners of the sheet to buckle.

Each corner separator 36 also comprises a flange 40 adapted to rest upon and be supported by the upper surface of the topmost sheet 14 adjacent the front corners thereof. The flange 40 extends rearwardly and overhangs the front corners of the stack 16. In the illustrated construction, the weight of each corner separator 36 is supported by the engagement between the topmost sheet 14 and the flange 40. Thus, the flange 40 weights down the topmostsheet and controls the buckling of the corresponding front corner thereof.

It will be seen that the illustrated flanges 40 of the corner separators 36 are generally triangular in shape. Thus, each flange 40 has a diagonal edge 42 adapted to extend diagonally across one front corner of the topmost sheet 14. Each flange 40 also has another diagonal edge 44 which comes into play when the corner separators are interchanged from left to right. Thus, when the corner separators 36 are in their illustrated positions, the diagonal edges 44 are out of action. However, the corner separators may be interchanged in position, in which case the diagonal edges 44 are adapted to extend diagonally across the corresponding front corners of the topmost sheet. The diagonal edges 42 and 44 extend at different angles to accommodate different types and weights of sheets. Thus, the diagonal edge 44 is adapted to overlap the corresponding corner of the topmost sheet to a greater extent than the diagonal edge 42. In general, the diagonal edge 44 is suitable for lighter and thinner papers than the diagonal edge 42.

At the junction between the diagonal edges 42 and 44, each of the illustrated flanges 40 is formed with a slot 46 which extends from front to rear and is adapted to receive the front portion or member 48 of the corresponding side rail 20. It will be apparent that the front portion 48 of the side rail provides a vertical guide along which the flange 40 of the corner separator 36 is slidable. The engagement between the slot 46 and the guide portion 48 automatically assures that the corner separator 36 will be maintained in the proper relation to the corresponding front corner of the stack 16. The separator flange 40 may be disengaged from the guide portion 48 by lowering the feed table 18 and lifting the corner separator 36.

The illustrated feed table 18 may be of the type which is raised automatically by the duplicator 12 as the paper stack 16 is depleted, so as to maintain the top of the stack at a nearly constant elevation. Mechanisms for automatically raising the feed table in this manner will be well known to those skilled in the art. Inasmuch as the feed rollers 26 engage the top of the stack, the rollers may be employed as feelers to detect the height of the stack. The table raising mechanism may be constructed and arranged to raise the feed table whenever the feed rollers drop below a particular elevation.

It will be noted that the slot 46 in each flange 40 is off center. This position of the slot ties in with the different angles of the diagonal edges 42 and 44.

The front guide portions or members 48 of the side rails 20 may be offset laterally in an outward direction, away from the corresponding sides of the paper stack 16. In this way, the diagonal edges 42 and. 44 extend entirely across the corresponding front corners of the topmost sheet.

It will be seen that the illustrated flanges 40 of the corner separators 36 slant upwardly from a horizontal position as they overlap the top of the paper stack 16. Thus, the engagement between each flange 40 and the topmost sheet is localized adjacent the front edge of the sheet. It has been found that the slanting angle of the flanges facilitates the separation of the topmost sheet.

As shown to advantage in FIGS. 2-5, the corner separators 36 are supported by a substantially vertical supporting plate 52, which is mounted transversely on the frame of the duplicator 12, just in front of the feed table 18. The corner separators 36 are mounted in such a manner that they may be adjusted laterally across the front of the feed table 18. Thus, the supporting plate 52 is formed with an elongated horizontal guide slot 54 spaced a short distance from its upper edge 56. The vertical member or bar 38 of each corner separator 36 is provided with a pin 58 which projects rearwardly therefrom and is guided in the slot 54. To retain the pin 58 in the slot 54 against accidental dislodgement, a small retaining plate 60 is riveted or otherwise secured to the projecting end of the pin 58. The plate 60 normally projects downwardly the slot 54 in back of the supporting plate 52. However, the plate 60 is small enough to permit removal of the corner separators 36 from the plate 52. Such removal may best be accomplished by first removing the feed table 18 from the duplicator 12. The corner separator 36 may then be swung from a vertical to a horizontal position so that the plate 60 will pass easily through the slot 54. The easy removability of the corner'separator 36 makes it easy to interchange the separators 36 from left to right.

It will be noted that the guide slot 54 is considerably wider than the diameter of the pins 58 on the corner separators 36. Thus, the slot 54 permits a considerable range of vertical movement of the corner separators. During normal operation of the sheet feeding mechanism, the corner separators 36 are lifted by the paper stack so that the pins 58 do not engage either the upper or the lower edges of the slot 54. Such lifting action is caused by the automatic feed table raising mechanism which maintains the top of the stack. at a substantially constant elevation. As already indicated, the weight of the corner separator is normally supported by the engagement between the flanges 40 and the front corners of the topmost sheet.

To restrain the forward movement of the paper stack 16 and to improve the manner in which the topmost sheet 14 is separated from the stack, the illustrated sheet feeding mechanism 10 is provided with a center separator 64 which is positioned between the corner separators 36 and is engageable with the front of the stack 16, preferably near the center thereof. As shown to advantage in FIGS. 4 and 5, the illustrated separator 64 is in the form of a substantially vertical blade or bar which is mounted ad jacent the supporting plate 52 in such a manner as to provide for horizontal and vertical adjustment of the blade. The separator blade 64 is preferably thicker than the vetrical bar portions 38 of the corner separators 36. In this way, the blade 64 holds back the stack and prevents the stack from interfering with the free vertical movements of the corner separators 36.

In the construction illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the center separator 64 is slidable horizontally along an adjusting plate 66, which is slidable vertically along the supporting plate 52. It will be seen that the adjusting plate 66 is formed with an elongated horizontal guide slot 68. A considerably wider horizontal slot 70 is formed in the supporting plate 52, opposite the guide slot 68. The center separator 64 and the adjusting plate 66 are on opposite sides of the supporting plate .52.

As shown, the center separator blade 64 has a widened lower or base portion 72 which is fitted with a pair of horizontally spaced guide pins 74. It will be seen from FIG. 3 that the pins 74 project through the slots 70 and 68. The pins 74 make a close sliding fit with the guide slot 68. On the other hand, the slot 70 affords clearance for vertical movement of the pins 74. Each pin 74 may be fitted with a washer 76 and a clip or other fastener 78 for retaining the pin in the guide slot 68. It will be evident that the engagement between the pins 74 and the guide slot 68 permits horizontal adjusting movement of the center separator blade 64 so that the blade may be moved to the desired position in front of the paper stack 16.

The upper end portion of the center separator blade 64 is supported and guided by a pin 80 which extends through and is slidable along the horizontal slot 54 in the supporting plate 52. To provide for vertical movement of the center separator blade 64, the pin 80 extends through a vertical slot 82 in the separator blade 64. It will be seen that the pin 80 has an enlarged head 84 which is recessed into the slidable along an enlarged vertical elongated recess 86 formed in the center separator blade 64 around the vertical slot 82. To retain the pin 80 in the horizontal slot 54, the rear portion of the pin 80 is preferably fitted with a large plain washer 88, a spring washer 90, another plain washer 92, and a retaining clip or other fastener 94.

The adjusting plate 66 is guided for vertical movement by a vertical guide slot 88' formed in the supporting plate 52. A pin 90' is secured to the adjusting plate 66 and projects through the guide slot 88.

A camming mechanism is preferably employed for moving the adjusting plate 66 in a vertical direction. Such camming mechanism comprises a horizontally movable operating member or plate 94'. An elongated operating handle 96 projects from the face of the operating plate 94'. In this case, the operating plate 94' is guided for horizontal movement by means of a pair of enlogated horizontal slots 98 formed in the supporting plate 52. Pins 100 project from the plate 94 and extend through the slots 98. The pins 100 also extend through inclined camming slots 102 formed in the adjusting plate 66. Thus, the camming action between the pins 100 and the inclined slots 102 causes the plate 66 to move vertically when the operating plate 94' is moved horizontally. The slots 102 are inclined only slightly from the horizontal so that a fine or delicate control is provided over the verti cal height of the center separator blade 64. To retain the pins 100 in the slots 102, the rear portions of the pins 100 are fitted with plain washers 104, spring washers 106, plain washers 108, and clips or other fasteners 110.

By moving the manually operable operating plate 94' in a horizontal direction, the center separator blade 64 is moved vertically to provide the best separating action between the topmost sheet and the stack as the topmost sheet is moved forwardly by the feed rollers 26. The center separator blade 64 is adjusted so as to hold back the sheets which underlie the topmost sheet. Generally, the center separator blade is adjusted so that its upper end is generally at or slightly below the elevation of the top of the stack. The center separator blade cooperates with the corner separators to insure that only the topmost sheet will be fed from the stack.

FIGS. 6-9 illustrate a modified construction which is the same as that of FIGS. l-S except that a different adjusting mechanism 114 is provided for adjusting the vertical position of the center separator blade. The blade itself differs slightly from the center separator blade 64 of FIGS. 1-5 and thus will be designated 64a. Except as specifically described below, the construction of FIGS. 6-9 may be the same as that of FIGS. 15. In FIG. 6, the supporting plate differs slightly from the plate 52 of FIGS. 15 and thus will be designated 52a.

As shown to advantage in FIG. 6, the center separator blade 64a is slidable vertically on a carrier plate 116 which itself is slidable horizontally along the supporting plate 52a. An elongated horizontal guide slot 118 is formed in the supporting plate 52a and is adapted to receive prongs or lugs 120 bent forwardly from the carrier plate 116. A pair of horizontally spaced lugs 120 may be provided so as to maintain the annular position of the carrier plate 116 while permitting the carriar to move horiplate 116 while permitting the carrier to move horizontally along the slot 118.

The center separator blade 64a is guided for vertical movement by a pair of vertical guide slots 122 formed in the carrier plate 116. Pins 124 project rearwardly from the center separator blade 64a and extend through the guide slots 122. Clips or other fasteners 126 may be mounted on the pins 124 to retain the pins in the slots 122.

The illustrated center separator blade 64a has a horizontally offset or bent portion 128 which extends through a clearance slot 130 in the supporting plate 52a. Thus, the upper portion of the center separator blade 64a is in front of the plate 52a, while the lower portion is in back of the plate 52a.

To provide for vertical adjustment of the center separator blade 64a, a vertical gear rack 132 is mounted on the rear face of the blade 64a. The gear rack 132 projects rearwardly through a clearance slot 134 in the carrier plate 116. Such slot 134 is vertically elongated to provide for vertical movement of the gear rack 132.

The gear rack 132 has teeth 136 which project rearwardly and mesh with teeth 138 on an elongated pinion shaft 140. The pinion teeth 138 extend for substantially the entire length of the pinion shaft 140 so that the shaft 140 forms a long continuous pinion. Thus, the engagement between the gear rack 132 and the pinion 140 is maintained throughout the range of horizontal adjustment of the center separator blade 64a.

The pinion 140 is adapted to be rotated to raise and lower the center separator blade 6411. In the illustrated mechanism 114, the rotation of the pinion 140 is brought about by a wide horizontal gear rack 142 which meshes with the pinion 140. A horizontal screw 144 is threaded through an internally threaded bore 146 in the rack 142.

The screw 144 is formed on the rear end of the shaft 148 which is rotatably supported by a bearing 150. A manually rotatable knob 152 is provided on the front end of the shaft 148. When the knob 152 is rotated, the rotation of the screw 144 causes movement of the rack 142 in a horizontal direction. The movement of the rack rotates the pinion 140, which in turn moves the vertical rack 132 in a vertical direction. Accordingly, the rotation of the knob 152 causes vertical movement of the center separator blade 64a. The provision of the screw results in a precise and easy control over the vertical elevation of the center separator blade 64a.

As before, the vertical elevation of the center separator blade is adjusted so that the blade will hold back the underlying sheets when the uppermost sheet in the stack is slid off the stack by the feed rollers 26. This action of the center separator cooperates with the buckling action of the corner separators to insure that only the topmost sheet will be fed from the stack.

In some cases, one of the corner separators may be omitted, so that only one corner separator will remain to buckle the corresponding corner of the sheet being fed. However, it is preferred to employ a pair of the corner separators, as illustrated.

Various other modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents may be employed without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention, as exemplified in the foregoing description and defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a duplicator,

the combination comprising a feed table for supporting a stack of paper sheets,

a pair of side rails adjustably mounted on said feed table for engaging the opposite sides of the stack,

a pair of vertically movable corner separators adjacent one end of said feed table,

each of said corner separators having a vertical member adapted to be positioned in front of the front corner of the stack,

each vertical member having a flange projecting therefrom and adapted to rest upon one front corner of the top most sheet in the stack,

each flange having a slot therein for receiving the front of one of the side rails to guide the corresponding separator for vertical movement,

a center separator blade disposed vertically in front of the stack between said corner separators,

said center separator blade being narrow relative to the width of said feed table,

means supporting said center separator blade for lateral adjusting movement and also for vertical adjusting movement,

a mechanism for adjusting and maintaining the vertical position of said center separator blade,

and a manually movable member for operating said mechanism.

2. In a mechanism for feeding paper sheets,

the combination comprising a feed table for supporting a stack of the paper sheets,

means for feeding the topmost sheet forwardly from the stack,

a pair of corner separators movable vertically in front of the stack,

each of said corner separators having a generally vertical member positioned in front of one front corner of the stack,

each vertical member having a flange thereon for resting upon one front corner of the topmost sheet in the stack,

a generally vertical center separator blade positioned in front of the stack between said corner separators,

said center separator blade being narrow relative to the Width of said feed table,

means supporting said center separator blade for horizontal adjustment and also for vertical movement along the front of the stack,

and a mechanism having a manually operable control member for vertically adjusting said center separator blade so that the upper end of said blade will be at a level corresponding generally to the top of the stack.

3. In a device for feeding paper sheets,

the combination comprising a frame, a feed table mounted on said frame for holding a stack of the paper sheets,

means for sliding the topmost sheet forwardly off the stack,

a generally vertical center separator blade positioned in front of the stack near the center thereof,

said center separator blade being narrow relative to the width of said feed table,

a generally vertical adjusting plate,

means mounting said adjusting plate on said frame for vertical movement,

means mounting said separator blade on said adjusting plate for vertical movement with said adjusting plate and horizontal movement along said adjusting plate,

a manually operable control member,

means supporting said control member on said frame for generally horizontal movement,

and camming means for moving said adjusting plate in a vertical direction in response to movement of said control member in a horizontal direction.

4. In a device for feeding paper sheets,

the combination comprising a frame, a feed table mounted on said frame for supporting a stack of paper sheets,

means for sliding the topmost sheet off the stack,

a generally vertical center separator blade positioned in front of the stack near the center thereof,

said center separator blade being narrow relative to the width of said feed table,

a carrier member,

means mounting said carrier member on said frame for horizontal adjusting movement,

means mounting said center separator blade on said carrier member for vertical movement relative thereto and horizontal movement therewith,

a generally vertical gear rack secured to said center separator blade,

an elongated horizontal pinion meshing with said rack throughout the range of horizontal movement of said carrier member,

and means for rotating said pinion to raise and low r said center separator blade.

5. In a duplicator,

the combination comprising a feed table for supporting a stack of paper sheets,

a pair of side rails adjustably mounted on said feed table for engaging the opposite sides of the stack,

a pair of vertically movable corner separators adjacent one end of said feed table,

each of said corner separators having a vertical member adapted to be positioned in front of the front corner of the stack,

each vertical member having a flange projecting therefrom and adapted to rest upon one front corner of the topmost sheet in the stack,

each flange having a slot therein for receiving the front of one of the side rails to guide the corresponding separator for vertical movement,

a center separator member disposed vertically in front of the stack between said corner separators,

said corner separator member being narrow relative to the width of said feed table,

means supporting said center separator member for vertical adjusting movement,

a mechanism for adjusting and maintaining the vertical position of said center separator member,

and a manually movable member for operating said mechanism.

6. In a mechanism for feeding paper sheets,

the combination comprising a feed table for supporting a stack of the paper sheets,

means for feeding the topmost sheet forwardly from the stack,

a pair of corner separators movable vertically in front of the stack,

each of said corner separators having a generally vertical member positioned in front of one front corner of the stack,

each vertical member having a flange thereon for resting upon one front corner of the topmost sheet in the stack, a generally vertical center separator member positioned in front of the stack between said corner separators, said corner separator member being narrow relative to the width of said feed table,

means supporting said center separator member for vertical movement along the front of the stack,

and a mechanism having a manually operable control member for vertically adjusting said center separator member so that the upper end of said member will be at a level corresponding generally to the top of the stack.

7. In a device for feeding paper sheets,

the combination comprising a frame, a feed table mounted on said frame for holding a stack of the paper sheets,

means for sliding the topmost sheet forwardly off the stack,

a generally vertical center separator member positioned in front of the stack near the center thereof,

said corner separator member being narrow relative to the width of said feed table,

a generally vertical adjusting member,

means mounting said adjusting member on said frame for vertical movement,

means mounting said separator member on said adjusting member for vertical movement with said adjusting member and horizontal movement along said adjusting member,

a manually operable control member,

means supporting said control member on said frame for generally horizontal movement,

and camming means for moving said adjusting member in a vertical direction in response to movement of said control member in a horizontal direction.

8. In a device for feeding paper sheets,

the combination comprising a frame, a feed table mounted on said frame for supporting a stack of paper sheets,

means for sliding the topmost sheet off the stack,

a generally vertical center separator member positioned in front of the stack near the center thereof,

said corner separator member being narrow relative to the width of said feed table,

a carrier member,

means mounting said carrier member on said frame for horizontal adjusting movement,

means mounting said center separator member on said carrier member for vertical movement relative thereto and horizontal movement therewith,

a generally vertical gear rack secured to said center separator member on said table,

an elongated horizontal pinion meshing with said rack throughout the range of horizontal movement of said carrier member,

and means for rotating said pinion to raise and lower said center separator member.

9. In a device for feeding paper sheets,

the combination comprising a frame, a feed table mounted on said frame for holding a stack of the paper sheets,

means for sliding the topmost sheet forwardly off the stack,

a generally vertical center separator member positioned in front of the stack near the center thereof,

said corner separator member being narrow relative to the Width of said feed table,

a generally vertical adjusting plate,

means mounting said adjusting plate on said frame for vertical movement,

means mounting said separator member on said adjusting plate for vertical movement with said adjusting plate and horizontal movement along said adjusting plate,

a manually operable control plate,

means supporting said control plate on said frame for generally horizontal movement,

said adjusting plate having an inclined cam slot therein,

and an element on said control plate and slidably engaging said cam slot for moving said adjusting plate in a vertical direction in response to horizontal movement of said control plate.

10. In a device for feeding paper sheets,

the combination comprising a frame, a feed table mounted on said frame for supporting a stack of the paper sheets,

means for sliding the topmost sheet olf the stack,

a generally vertical center separator member positioned in front of the stack near the center thereof,

said corner separator member being narrow relative to the width of said feed table,

a carrier member,

means mounting said carrier member on said frame for horizontal adjusting movement,

means mounting said center separator member on said carrier member for vertical movement relative thereto and horizontal movement therewith,

a generally vertical gear rack secured to said center separator member,

an elongated horizontal pinion meshing with said gear rack throughout the range of horizontal movement of said carrier member,

an adjusting rack meshing with said pinion,

said adjusting rack having an internally threaded bore therein,

and an adjusting shaft having a screw portion threaded through said bore in said adjusting rack for moving said adjusting rack and thereby adjusting the elevation of said center separator member.

11. In a mechanism for feeding paper sheets,

the combination comprising a feed table for supporting a stack of the paper sheets,

means for feeding the topmost sheet forwardly from the stack,

at least one corner separator movable vertically in front of the stack,

said corner separator having a generally vertical member positioned in front of one front corner of the stack,

said vertical member having a flange thereon for restin upon one front corner of the topmost sheet in the stack,

a generally vertical center separator member positioned in front of the stack near the center thereof,

said corner separator member being narrow relative to the width of said feed table,

means supporting said center separator member for vertical movement along the front of the stack,

and a mechanism having a manually operable control member for vertically adjusting said center separator member so that the upper end of said blade will be at a level corresponding generally to the top of the stack,

said center separator member projecting rearwardly beyond said vertical member of said corner separator for holding back the stack and preventing the stack from interfering with the free movement of said corner separator.

12. In a mechanism for feeding paper sheets,

the combination comprising a feed table for supporting a stack of the paper sheets,

means for feeding the topmost sheet forwardly from the stack,

a pair of corner separators movable vertically in front of the stack,

each of said corner separators having a generally vertical bar positioned in front of one front corner of the stack,

said vertical bar having a flange thereon for resting upon one front corner of the topmost sheet in the stack,

a generally vertical center separator blade positioned in front of the stack between said corner separators,

said center separator blade being narrow relative to the width of said feed table,

means supporting said center separator blade for vertical movement along the front of the stack,

and a mechanism having a manually operable control member for vertically adjusting said center separator blade so that the upper end of said blade will be at a level corresponding generally to the top of the stack,

said center separator blade being thicker than said vertical bars of said corner separators for holding back the stack and preventing the stack from interfering with the free movement of said corner separators.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 941,778 11/09 Hermann 271-39 1,432,031 10/ 22 Novick 271-62 1,843,118 2/32 Brasseur 271-2S 2,912,241 11/59 Tonkin 271--22 2,928,558 3/60 Bamford 271-62 ROBERT B. REEVES, Acting Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A DUPLICATOR, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A FEED FOR SUPPORTING A STACK OF PAPER SHEETS, A PAIR OF SIDE RAILS ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FEED TABLE FOR ENGAGING THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE STACK, A PAIR OF VERTICALLY MOVABLE CORNER SEPARATORS ADJACENT ONE END OF SAID FEED TABLE, EACH OF SAID CORNER SEPARATORS HAVING A VERTICAL MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED IN FRONT OF THE FRONT CORNER OF THE STACK, EACH VERTICAL MEMBER HAVING A FLANGE PROJECTING THEREFROM AND ADAPTED TO REST UPON ONE FRONT CORNER OF THE TOP MOST SHEET IN THE STACK, EACH FLANGE HAVING A SLOT THEREIN FOR RECEIVING THE FRONT OF ONE OF THE SIDE RAILS TO GUIDE THE CORRESPONDING SEPARATOR FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT, A CENTER SEPARATOR BLADE DISPOSED VERTICALLY IN FRONT OF THE STACK BETWEEN SAID CORNER SEPARATORS, SAID CENTER SEPARATOR BLADE BEING NARROW RELATIVE TO THE WIDTH OF SAID FEED TABLE, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID CENTER SEPARATOR BLADE FOR LATERAL ADJUSTING MOVEMENT AND ALSO FOR VERTICAL ADJUSTING MOVEMENT, A MECHANISM FOR ADJUSTING AND MAINTAINING THE VERTICAL POSITION OF SAID CENTER SEPARATOR BLADE, AND A MANUALLY MOVABLE MEMBER FOR OPERATING SAID MECHANISM. 